Sliding door assembly



Dec. 6, 1960 Filed Sept 18, 1958 2 Sheets-$heet 1 :PT-N

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ATTORNEVJ rates Patent fiiice SLIDING DOOR ASSEMBLY Irving Heller, Houston, Tern, assignor to The Heller Company, Houston, Tex, a partnership Filed Sept. 18, 1958, Ser. No. 761,815

4 Claims. (Cl. 20-19).

Thepresent invention relates to a sliding door assembly, and more particularly, relates. to an improvement in a sliding door assembly operating on a sill which locks the sliding mechanism in place andinterlocks with the sill to present a uniform slope.

Generally, sliding glass and screen doors operate on a track which is secured to or form a part of the floor sill.

The track is either of the raised fin rail type or is merely a recessed groove in the sill. When either of these types oftrack are used near the bottom of a sloping sill they form an undesirable water anddirttrap. Rocks, dirt or other. debris can accumulate in this formed trap and bind the sliding mechanism so as to prevent the door from .working. Furthermore, because of the flexible play that is inherentina. sliding door the sliding mechanism which is merely inserted on the track is subjectto continual derailment or popping out. It isto overcome these disadvantages that the present invention is directed.

Itistherefore a general object of the present invention to provide a sliding door assembly which is free of a sill trap.

A further objectof the present invention is the provision ofa track lock which releasably secures the sliding mechanism onthe track and thereby prevents it from popping out or being derailed.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a sliding door assembly with a track and traveling mechanism which interlocks with the sill and provides a uniform sloping sill.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an improvementin a sliding door assembly in which the track and traveling mechanism is weatherproofed.

Other and further objects, features and advantages will be apparent from the following description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention, given for the purpose of disclosure, and taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where like character references designate like parts throughout the several views, and where Figure 1 is a plan view, in cross-section, illustrating a conventional sliding door arrangement in which the present invention may be used,

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevational view, partly in cross-section, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view partly in cross-section, illustrating a modified form of the present invention using a rail track,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side elevation taken along line 4-4 of Figure 2,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view, partly in cross-section, illustrating another modified form of the present invention in which the track is enclosed in weather stripping, and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view partly in cross-section, illustrating another modified form of the present invention in which the track is sloped.

In general, a typical sliding door construction 8 is shown in Figure 1 and consists of a sill 10 on which is secured a fixed glass door 12, an inside sliding glass door 14'and a sliding screen door 16.

As best seen in Figures 1 and 2 the fixed glass door 12 is secured and supported between the sill 10 on a sill filler 13 and to the upper head 18 and to the fixed jamb 21. The sliding door 14, which is generally inside of the house as compared to the fixed door 12, rides on a forked wheel 22 and fin track 24, which is a part of sill 10, as is conventional. It has been conventional to provide a similar forked wheel and track arrangement for the movable screen 16 or to provide a recess (not shown) for the screen supporting wheel to ride in, Either one of these arrangements provides a trap for water and dirt in the sill and does not provide a method of locking the wheel to the track.

The present invention is directed to an improvement by providing a supporting wheel 30 operating in a track 34 and secured therein by the track lock .36 which interlocks with the sill ill) to provide a uniform slope to the bottom of the sill.

The slidingdoor 16 is provided with a frame 28 around its peripheryand is supported by the wheel 30 which is secured near the bottom edge of the frame and out of line, that is to one side, of the door 16 and may be secured to the door bolt 32 and nut 33. It is to be noted that the bolt 32 extends through vertically cutslots 34 in the door frame 28 to provide a vertical adjustment between the door and the wheel 30. While the sliding mechanism is-here shown as a wheel 30 itmay consist of any slidable mechanism capable of movement in the track 34. For example, a nylon block has been found to be satisfactory for operation in an aluminum sill. However, the wheel 36) preferably consistsof sealed ball bearing nylon-rollers.

A track 34 is provided with means such as the lip 40 to maintain the wheel or sliding mechanism in its horizontal position on the track; It is noted that the track 34 is disposed beneath the sloping top 26 of the sill 1i) and for ease of construction is preferably extruded as an integral part of the sill 10.

The track lock 36 interlocks with the sill 1t} and its top 38 interlocks with and has substantially the, same slope as the sill 10. It is noted thatthis track lock 36 when secured in place insures that the supporting wheel 30 is contained in the track and is not subject to derailment. Furthermore, the track lock 36 provides a structure protecting the track 34, from debris and provides a uniform sloping drain in conjunction with the sill 10. As best seen in Figure 4, the track lock 36 may consist of a plurality of panels 47 and 48 and may be removably secured to the sill 10 by screws 39 so that the wheels 30 and the sliding door 16 may be inserted and removed from the track 30.

Of course various modifications of the sliding door assembly may be made. Figures 3, 5 and 6 illustrate modifications of the structure according to the invention, the letters a, b and c being applied to parts corresponding to those in Figures 2 and 4 for convenience of reference. Figure 3 is an enlarged partial view of a modified embodiment of the present invention using a raised track 34a and a coacting forked wheel 30a. Figure 5 is an enlarged partial view similar to the embodiment shown in Figure 2 utilizing two weatherproofing strips 50, one attached to the track lip 40c and the other attached to the track lock 360. These strips '50 are preferably wool pile weather stripping fibers which meet and keep dirt and other debris out of the track, but are flexible so as to allow movement of the hub of wheel 30 between the strips 50.

Figure 6 illustrates an enlarged view showing the modi,

fication wherein the track 34b slants downwardly and outwardly. This provides a track structure which prevents pebbles and other objects which might become stuck in the track and bind the wheel 30a from lodging in the track. In this modification a lip 42 is provided on the track lock 36b to insure that the wheel 30b is held horizontally in place on the track 34a.

In operation, the head 18, the sill 10, the lock jamb 20 and the fixed jamb 21 are assembled and secured in a door opening and the doors 12 and 14 put in place as is conventional. One of the track lock sections 47 or 48 is removed from the sill by screws 39 so that it may be pulled straight out. The sliding door 16 is installed by putting the door top into the fin 45 at the header 18 and swinging the bottom wheels 30 onto the track 34. The sliding door 16 is then moved in track 34 and the removed track lock section is then replaced. The sliding door 16 can then be squared parallel to the jamb by raising or lowering the adjustable wheels 30 in the screen frame 28. In the event some foreign objects do lodge in the track, the track lock 36 may be easily removed, the track cleaned, and the track lock 36 replaced.

While the sliding door assembly of the present invention is shown as applied to a sliding screen door it will be understood that this assembly may be used with other sliding doors such as glass doors and in other sliding door arrangements than that illustrated in Figure 1. In fact, this assembly may be used with any sliding door which operates on a sill so as to eliminate Water and dirt traps, provide a track that is not subject to becoming inoperative due to foreign objects and to provide a track lock which securely locks the traveling mechanism in place.

The present invention, therefore, is well adapted to carry out the objects and attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as others inherent therein. While presently preferred embodiments of the invention are given for the purpose of disclosure, numerous changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art which are encompassed within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a sliding door assembly for a building including a door and a sloping sill adjacent the ground, the improvement comprising, a track disposed adjacent and below the sill and adjacent and above ground level, movable supporting means secured to said door and arranged to travel on said track, and a track lock removably secured to said sill above said track, said track lock overlying the track but leaving space in excess of the diameter of the movable Supporting means whereby said supporting means is contained on said track, said track lock being a continuation of the sloping sill.

2. In a sliding door assembly for a building including a door and sloping sill adjacent the ground, the improvement comprising, a track disposed adjacent and below the sill and adjacent and above ground level, movable supporting means secured to said door and arranged to travel on said track, a track lock removably secured to said sill above said track, said track lock overlying said track but leaving space little in excess of the movable supporting means whereby supporting means is confined and contained on said track between the track and said track lock, said track lock being a continuation of the sloping sill, and a flexible weather stripping attached to said track and to said track lock enclosing said track, said stripping having an opening for movement of the movable supporting means along the track in said opening.

3. In a sliding door assembly for a building including a door and a sloping sill adjacent the ground, the improvement comprising, a track disposed adjacent and below the sill and adjacent and above ground level, said track slanting downwardly and outwardly from said sill whereby debris will not accumulate and block said track, a supporting wheel secured to said door and arranged to travel on said track, a track lock removably secured to said sill above said track, said track lock overlying the track leaving space little in excess of the wheel, and a lip attached to said track lock whereby the wheel is confined and contained on said track and under said track lock, said track lock being a continuation of the sloping sill.

4. In a sliding door assembly for a building including a door and a sloping sill adjacent the ground, the improvement comprising, a rib track disposed adjacent and below the sill and adjacent and above ground level, a forked wheel movable on said rib track and coacting therewith so as to travel on said track, said wheel secured to and supporting said door, and a track lock removably secured to said sill above said track, said track lock overlying the track in a spaced relationship leaving little space in excess of said wheel whereby said wheel is confined and contained on said track, said track lock being a continuation of the sloping sill.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,847,961 Hess et a1 Mar. 1, 1932 2,774,118 Nystrorn Dec. 18, 1956 2,798,246 Holloway July 9, 1957 

